Although content management systems (cms) are not a new concept by any means, many people are unaware they’re out there and how great they are! I’ve touched on them before on this blog, but today we’ll go over how a cms will benefit you and your company (or personal project) and why you shouldn’t buy a website from someone that doesn’t offer it. A cms gives you the power to make changes and keep your website up to date. Keeping the content on your website current and accurate is very important. Doing so will help you maximize your website’s potential, getting you better results and a happier audience.

What is a Content Management System?

A cms allows you to add your own content to your website without any html or css knowledge. It provides you with a user-friendly area that is much like a text editing program (such as Word). You can control headings, add links, bold and italicize text, add images, etc. Templates are setup by your web designer that allow you to add content in designated areas, which allows the design and layout to stay intact, but gives you full access to add what you need. More or less flexibility can be added depending on each client’s needs. If a client is uncomfortable touching much in there, we lock more things down so they know they can’t possibly hurt anything on the site. But if they are more tech savvy, we give them more control to allow for more room to play.

Manage Your Content Easily

The best part about having a content management system is that you have the power to edit and maintain your website on your own. At Snoack Studios, we offer to assist clients in adding their content, but more often than not, people like to jump in and do it themselves. It’s a great way to learn the cms and understand how it works. If you can type a document in Word, you can most likely handle adding content to a cms. The main selling point on a cms is that it’s user-friendly. It’s not built for a web designer, it’s built with a client in mind, someone that doesn’t do this for a living but needs to update their site on their own.

Add Content Over Time

Adding content from the beginning is nice, but the ability to make tweaks and little changes over time is very valuable. If your contact information changes, like your phone number, you can change it without contacting your web designer. You can add special announcements and upcoming events, adding to the accessibility and functionality for your audience.

Continually Improve Your Website

The ability to continually improve and make changes to your site is also nice! Many people aren’t sure what they want or need in the beginning so they start out with a simple site. Over time you can add more functionality to fit the needs of your company. Many cms’s allow you to change the navigation, adding or deleting links as you see fit. Your company is always changing and having a stale, inaccurate site could hinder progress. Keep your site up to date and customers will appreciate it, continually visiting your site to see what’s new.

As you can see, a content management system is a great tool for businesses, personal sites, etc. Everyone can benefit from the ability to have control over content and keeping it accurate. A strong web presence is important and having a cms will assist you in the pursuit of having a powerful and accessible site.